An Unlikely Ally
by CeridwenAeradwer
Summary: After the Oracion Seis disband with many of the members having been arrested, a seemingly reformed Cobra becomes a member of Fairy Tail. Although he is initially shunned by many of the members, Lucy finds herself on a mission alongside him. Are Cobra's intentions really as respectable as they seem, or does he have a darker plan in mind?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, Fanfiction community! This is my first fan-fiction to be published on this site, and I hope you enjoy it. I will try to update it as often as I can.  
The story will be following the characters Lucy Heartfillia and Cobra from Hiro Mashima's 'Fairy Tail'.  
Please do leave a review and tell me what you think.  
Thank you!**

…

Chapter 1  
…

The Fairy Tail guild hall was all in an uproar, what with the disbanding of the dark guild, Oracion Seis. Chief among concerns was the Master's questionable decision to accept Cobra as a member of the guild. This decision had initially been opposed, but with Kinana's insistence the rest of the guild had grudgingly relented, remembering how Gajeel himself had once been a member of an enemy dark guild.

Lucy strode into the guild hall, heading purposefully towards the mission board.  
"Lucy!" Someone called out. Lucy turned to see Natsu and Happy barrelling towards her across the crowded hall. She smiled in response.  
"Hey guys!"  
Natsu grinned. "Hey, hey! There's this big festival going on in Magnolia over the next few days, our whole team should go. It'd be great! There'll be competitions, fights, -"  
"Lots of fish to eat!" Happy contributed.  
An apologetic look crossed Lucy's face. "Ah, well, the thing is I was just thinking about going on a mission this weekend. You know, um, save up some money."  
There was a snicker from a nearby table, causing Lucy to glance over her shoulder. Cobra sat there with his back to them, coughing on his drink. Lucy didn't have time to think anything of it before Natsu interrupted.  
"Aw, c'mon! We can go on a job when we get back! This festival won't wait!"  
"That's right!" Happy chimed in, "Erza, Wendy and Gray are coming too, it would be sad for you not to come."  
Lucy smiled sadly. "Sorry to let you down, but, uh, I already said I'd do it."  
This time Cobra's laughter was unmistakeable, and he turned round to face them, smirking. "Oh, for Christ's sake. Salamander, blondie here's about to get kicked out of her apartment, right? She needs the money." Lucy froze. This was exactly what she didn't want everyone to know. She had nearly forgotten that Cobra's incredible hearing ability enabled him to hear people's thoughts, and he had spoken a bit too loudly for her liking.  
"What?" Natsu exclaimed in surprise, "Lucy, is that true?"  
She hesitated. _Oh, thank you, Cobra. Thank you so very much._  
Still smirking, Cobra muttered a "You're welcome," Before turning back to his drink.  
"…I… yeah." Lucy replied to Natsu in a small voice. The Landlady had given her a week to catch up, or she'd be out on the street.  
"Jeez, Lucy, why didn't you say anything? I can give you some money if you need-"  
"-No! No, I'm not relying on anyone for financial support, Natsu. I appreciate it, but I need to deal with this myself."  
Natsu stared at her sadly.  
"Go on, go to Magnolia with Erza and Gray. Hopefully next time I'll be able to join you, okay? I'm really sorry."  
"…Yeah, sure…" He muttered, "See you in a bit then." He grumbled, turning and walking away. With a parting glance at Lucy, Happy floated sadly along behind him.  
Lucy sighed. She hated to let Natsu down like that, But she had no choice. She needed money, and she needed to make it on her own.  
Angrily she turned to Cobra. "Thanks, jerk. I didn't bring it up for a reason, you know."  
"Stupid reason." He muttered, barely acknowledging her.  
"Huh?"  
"You don't want anyone taking pity on you, or thinking you can't handle yourself. You don't need to be able to hear thoughts to figure that out."  
"I… and what makes that stupid?" Asked Lucy, not really wanting to hear the answer.  
Cobra rolled his eyes. "Everyone has bloody financial troubles from time to time, it hardly affects people's opinions." He sighed. "Oh, to hell with it. I'm sorry, okay? Now just leave me alone."  
Lucy didn't need to be told twice, she gladly spun on her heel and strode away. _For God's sake,_ she thought, _Talk about intrusive. And now we're in the same guild? I don't know how long I can-_  
Suddenly realising he may still be listening, she stopped herself and turned her thoughts towards selecting a mission.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

…

A few minutes afterwards, and Lucy was standing in front of the board, looking somewhat troubled.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" Mirajane walked over to her, drinks tray in hand.

"Yeah… I'm just trying to decide. I don't want to take on something too big by myself, but I need money."  
She reached out and picked a flyer off the board.  
"This would be great. 200 000 jewel, just half of that and I would have enough to… well, enough. But in order to get it…"  
She handed the leaflet over. Mirajane turned it round in her hands.  
"Clearing out a band of raiders from around Auryon village…"  
Lucy nodded. "Mm-hm. I'm just not confident that I can handle it alone."  
Mirajane gave her a long, steady stare. "Well…" she began slowly. "I think you're underestimating yourself; you're stronger than you think you are. But is you're really not confident, well, you said yourself that half the reward would be enough. Why not ask someone to go with you?"  
"Everyone's busy. Half of the guild has gone to that festival, and everyone else has things to do." Lucy replied, picking up a drink from Mira's tray and taking a sip.  
Mirajane smiled innocently. "What about Cobra?"  
Lucy coughed on her drink in surprise, and a similar spluttering sound was heard behind them.  
Mirajane glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, Cobra! You were listening. Good. What do you think?"  
Cobra blinked, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "What do I think? I…?" He began to reply in a bitter tone, but then trailed off as his expression turned from one of incredulity to one of thoughtfulness.  
"Well… I don't have anything better to do…" He mused, recovering from his initial surprise.  
Lucy looked from Mira to Cobra in horror.  
"Um, wait, I-"  
"I think it's a good idea!" Interjected Master Makarov, approaching them.  
"Once others hear you've gone on a cooperative mission, Cobra, it may help you fit in more."  
"But, hang on-"  
"Yeah, s'pose. Can't do any harm, plus I get paid."  
"Just a second-"  
"Great!" Mirajane clapped her hands together. "Then it's decided."  
"Don't I get to-?"  
Cobra stood up from his table and walked over to them. He took the leaflet out of Mira's hand and studied it.  
"Hmph, seems simple enough." Handing it back, he looked at Lucy.  
"Really? You're not confident enough to handle this alone?" He said in a tone of mild amusement. Lucy glowered dangerously at him, but he appeared not to notice. Turning and walking away, he called back to her. "Auryon Village. I know it, it's not that far. We'll leave at noon. That'll be enough time to reach it before sundown."  
Lucy stared after him, cursing inside her head.  
 _Great,_ She thought, _Of course I get to work with the obnoxious evil dragon slayer. Maybe I would have been better off if I had just gone with the others to Magnolia and found a cheaper apartment when I got back.  
_ She groaned inwardly. This would be a long mission.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

…

A few hours later, and Cobra and Lucy were walking side by side across the plains of Fiore in silence.  
 _God, this is awkward,_ Lucy thought, occasionally stealing glances at the tall, tanned man beside her. If he heard her, he did not react.

Suddenly a thought struck her. From the way Cobra stiffened, she guessed he had overheard.  
"No." He said before Lucy could give voice to her thoughts, "I don't care how desperate for conversation you are, we are not talking about the bloody Tower of Heaven." This outright refusal only served to inflame Lucy's curiosity.  
"You were all there, weren't you? All of the Oracion Seis."  
"Leave it, Heartfillia." He growled menacingly, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the path ahead.  
Lucy persisted. "How did you all get out? Erza told us that Jellal sunk all the boats that everyone was planning on escaping by, so how-"  
"Look!" He snapped, rounding on her so suddenly and violently that Lucy staggered back under the force of his words.

"You want to know what the tower was like? It was hell. Hell like you can never imagine you goddamn brat. You want to know how I survived? I did what I had to. You want to know how I escaped? I took the chance when it came along. End of story."  
He glared at her in utter disgust, advancing on her as he spoke. His tone was layered with malice, a mixture of resentment and bitterness dripping from each word he spoke.

His threatening manner did little to sway Lucy, what got to her was the agony and pain she only then realised Cobra associated with those memories. Embarrassed and ashamed, she averted her eyes from his intense stare.  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… I was just… um…" She searched desperately for something to say. She took a deep breath. "I could never imagine what it must have-"  
"Damn right you couldn't" Cobra muttered as he abruptly turned and continued on down the road.  
"Bitch."

After a moment's hesitation, Lucy followed. Silence descended upon the pair again, colder and more uncomfortable than the first. Lucy cursed her curiosity as Cobra stalked along in front, at a pace she found difficult to keep up with without running.

Suddenly Cobra came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the road, causing Lucy to almost run into him.  
"Hey! Wha…" Lucy began to speak, but then caught sight of his expression. Cobra tilted his head to the side, listening intently. Lucy closed her mouth and instead silently reached for her keys and her Fleuve d'étoiles.  
A tense moment passed before Cobra picked up on something, whipped his head round to the forest on the left and cried "Move!" Before diving away from the path. Lucy barely hesitated for a second before following suit, rolling away to the opposite side of the path. A flurry of arrows crashed into the ground where they had been stood a second before. Lucy righted herself and, brandishing a golden key, cried,  
"Open, gate of the scorpion, Scorpio!" A golden glow erupted from the ground, the swirling mist gathering to from a familiar tailed figure.  
"We are!" The white and red haired spirit cried gleefully.  
"Wassup?"  
"Scorpio, sand wall over there, now!"  
"Gotcha!" A blizzard of sand erupted from the muscular sting on Scorpio's tail, bringing up a wall of sand that shielded Scorpio and Lucy. Sure enough, a split second later, arrows thudded into the wall.

Cobra was in a similar situation. He dodged behind a tree as another torrent flew at him.  
When the attack subsided, Cobra yelled, "Hey, are you coming out? Or are you just gonna persist with this weak-ass strategy?" Silence followed.

There was a bang and a cloud of smoke appeared on the road in front of them. Lucy tensed, readying her Fleuve d'étoiles.  
The warm breeze gently brushed the smoke away, revealing a tall, black haired man. He wore a large brown coat with the collar turned up, and a black cloth mast that covered his mouth and nose. A vicious looking blade with an intricately decorated handle hung loosely off his belt, the sheath of which was made from a startlingly abyss black metal. Just above his cropped leather gloves, gold and silver bracelets clung to his pallid skin contrasting starkly with his otherwise dull attire.

Cobra, not yet leaving the cover provided by the large oak tree that shielded him from the hidden archers, narrowed his eyes at the stranger.

"Well, then? What now?" Cobra said to him. The stranger gazed intently at the pair.  
"You… you are mages?" He spoke softly, almost too softly to hear.  
"That's right. I'd guess you might be the bandits we've been hired to take out." Lucy replied.  
The stranger's emerald eyes closed.  
"I see, that's unfortunate." He reopened his eyes, his slightly absent expression replaced by one of pure malice.  
"In that case, we have no choice but to eliminate you." Following this declaration, he drew his sword. Instead of solid metal however the blade consisted of insubstantial black smoke that emanated from the hilt. He swung the ghostly blade to point at the two Fairy Tail mages.

"Now."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

…

"Now."

As soon as the word left his lips, there was a brief rustling from the forests on either side of the path, as twenty or so bandits leapt out at them. Cobra whirled to face the ones on the left, while Lucy and Scorpio took the right.

Cobra examined his opponents. Even numbers of men and women, all wearing a mixture of leather and plate armour. Some of them had bows slung over their shoulders but all wielded a melee weapon, be it axe, sword or hammer.  
They came off as tough and intimidating, but their thoughts betrayed their true feelings.

 _Mages? Shit, I don't know if we can handle these guys…  
…knew we should have hired more guys, it's not as if we lack for cash or anything…  
…God, if we mess up, Hikaru is not gonna go easy on us…  
…Hikaru the only one who can use magic, why isn't he doing anything? He just gonna stand there 'till we're all beat up?_

Cobra's eyes slid over to the dark haired man with the black sword. He hadn't moved.  
 _A mage, huh?  
_ This might be fun after all.

One of the bandits rushed towards Cobra, brandishing a machete. It was sluggish, amateurish attack which Cobra easily dodged around to deliver a painful blow to the back of the man's neck. Yanking him back by his collar as the man tried to retreat he followed it up with a punch to the man's face, before spinning and planting a foot in his stomach sending him sprawling backwards.

This was enough to provoke a reaction from the bandit's friends. Howling, they came at him with no more skill than the first. Cobra easily evaded them all without needing to read their minds; they were laughably clumsy and uncoordinated, often running into each other when he jumped out of their way.  
It was all too obvious that they had little fighting experience, apart from terrorising the occasional villager. Cobra glanced back to the one they referred to as 'Hikaru'.  
 _Does this guy really believe that this is enough to kill us?_

Getting bored of dodging their attacks, Cobra retreated a few feet away from the cluster of bandits and took a deep breath.  
"Roar of the poison dragon!"  
Purple smoke billowed out from his mouth, engulfing the crowd. He stood back and watched as they stumbled around, gasping for breath before slowly sinking to the ground. A resilient few managed to stagger a few feet in his direction before falling.

Cobra glanced towards Lucy to see how she was doing. Scorpio was battering a group of them with controlled waves of sand while Lucy herself was holding three of them at bay with her whip, occasionally darting in to deliver a blow with surprising speed and strength that Cobra had not expected of the blonde celestial mage.

Someone's thought suddenly drifted past his ears.  
 _…Hasn't noticed, thank god, I don't stand a chance on my own. Good thing I didn't breathe in that fog. If I just lie here, maybe…  
_ Cobra's gaze snapped back to the pile of bodies in front of him. Walking forwards, he managed to identify the survivor. It was a woman, small but muscular. He stopped next to her.  
 _Wha… he's stopped. What has he stopped? Surely he couldn't have-_

A sharp kick to the head was enough to stem the flow of anxious thoughts pouring into his ears.

Cobra glanced up again just in time to see Lucy finishing off the last bandit, her whip tight around his neck as he struggled to breathe. Slowly, he fell to the ground.

Lucy looked up triumphantly, but her expression stiffened again when she caught sight of something. Cobra turned to follow her gaze. The stranger, the one the others had called Hikaru, stood there watching them. He didn't seem to be particularly surprised or distressed at the annihilation of his comrades.

Hikaru stepped back, raising his sword.

"…I see. Thank you."

He brought the sword down in front of him. Black smoke spilled from the hilt and spread out in front of Hikaru, hiding him from Lucy and Cobra. When it cleared, Hikaru was gone.

Lucy wore a puzzled expression

" 'Thank you?' What did he mean by that?"  
She wondered aloud, closing Scorpio's gate.

"Dunno. The others referred to him as 'Hikaru'. Apparently he was also a mage."

"Oh.."  
Lucy glanced sharply up at Cobra.  
"Wait, what do you mean you don't know? Couldn't you hear his thoughts?"

Cobra froze. She was right, he should have been able to hear Hikaru's thoughts clear as day at so short a distance. He had been able to hear the thoughts of his friends however, so it wasn't that there was something wrong with his hearing.

"…No, I couldn't hear him. He must have been blocking it somehow." He said thoughtfully.

Lucy grinned.  
"Yeah, sure. Or maybe you're starting to go a bit deaf."

Cobra glared at her.  
"Keep dreaming, Heartfilia. I can still hear every one of your thoughts."  
In order to drive his point, he paused and listened. Then after a couple of seconds, he smirked.

"Maybe I should go tell Salamander about how you-"

"No! Shut up!" Lucy reddened with embarrassment and anger.

"Alright then, if that's what we're doing…" She pulled a golden key out of her pocked and waved it in the air while Cobra looked on, bemused.

"Open, gate of the twins, Gemini!"

Golden light shone the key that Lucy held, and two small blue figures appeared before her.

Cobra blinked.  
"Gemini? Oh yeah, that used to be Angel's key…"

"Then you should remember what it does." Lucy turned to Gemini and pointed at Cobra.

"Gemini, transform into him."

"Piri Piri!" The little blue figures began to morph into a single humanoid shape.

Cobra paled as Lucy's thoughts crept into his head and he realised what she was planning.

"Hey, wait-"

Gemini was now identical to Cobra in every detail: The spiky maroon hair, narrowed purple eyes and dark, tanned skin.

Gemini grinned. "Hi! I'm Cobra! Also known as Erik!" He said cheerfully while Cobra watched in absolute horror.

Lucy smiled mischievously. "Gemini, since you have Cobra's memories, who about you tell us some of his more embarrassing moments?"

"Sure! About a year ago, I-" Cobra charged forwards and knocked Gemini to the ground, desperately holding a hand over the mouth of his clone. Lucy watched the spectacle with glee.

"Okay! Okay, you've made your point, alright?" Cobra yelled, holding down a struggling Gemini.  
"Send it back! Send it back! NOW!"

"Gemini." Lucy held out the key and Gemini disappeared in burst of light.

Cobra scowled at her, enraged.  
"Watch your back, Heartfilia." He growled.

Lucy smiled triumphantly. "Don't go about thinking that you're the only one can read minds. NEVER underestimate a celestial mage." She said, turning and continuing on down the road.

"Come on, then! We've still got to get to the village and find out what's going on!" She chirped.

Cobra glared at her murderously. "Dammit." He muttered as he reluctantly clambered to his feet and followed her

…

 **Hello, FanFiction community! I won't be able to update the story over the next week due to my exams, but hopefully I'll be able to pick it up again by next weekend. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please leave a review telling me what you think about it so far, and check back next week for more.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

...

 **Sorry for taking so long to update, I've had a hectic few weeks coupled with writer's block. Hopefully now that I've got a clear schedule I might be able to upload a little more frequently. Enjoy the next chapter.**

...

Before long, they reached Auryon village. It was a small, simple town. The buildings were crudely crafted, with stone walls and wooden roofs. Around the circumference of the village was a battered wooden fence which did virtually nothing for aesthetic or practical purposes. There were a few tired looking villagers milling around the village, but other than that the place seemed quiet and desolate.

"Well, this is fucking depressing." Cobra remarked, still sulking about earlier.

Lucy shot him a look warning him to keep his voice down. He rolled his eyes.

"For God's sake, blondie. It's the bloody truth, and they know it. Stop being so skittish."

Lucy sighed, and walked up to one of the villagers, a woman with a tattered shawl about her shoulders and bags under her eyes. Lucy guessed that she might be in her mid twenties, but her weathered appearance made it difficult to tell.

"Hi, excuse me, We're the wizards from Fairy Tail. We're supposed to talk to someone about your bandit problem...?"

The woman brightened up at Lucy's words.

"You.. oh! Wonderful! Yes, please follow me, I'll take you to elder Makoto. "

"Oh, great! Uh..."

With that, she grasped Lucy's hand and set off, pulling her through the dusty streets. Cobra followed silently, observing their surroundings as they walked.

"My name's Ery, by the way. Ery Noboru." The woman chatted to Lucy as she hurried them along.

"Oh. Ah, I'm Lucy Heartfillia. And this is Eri-"

"Cobra." Cobra interrupted.

"...Yeah, Cobra." Lucy muttered, annoyed.

As they went on Lucy gradually realised that despite her guide's hurried appearance, Ery was moving quite slowly. Several times she nearly tripped over the uneven cobbles and she was breathing heavily, wearing an expression of grim determination as she forged ahead.

Concerned, Lucy tentatively spoke,

"Um, Ery, are you feeling well? We don't need to hurry, we can slow down if-"

"- What? No! No, I'm fine. Don't worry, we're nearly there." Ery replied, evidently alarmed by the question. She hurriedly changed the subject.

"S-so, er, what kind of, what magic do you use? If you don't mind me asking of course." She stammered nervously, tripping over her words as she spoke.

"Not at all! I'm a celestial mage, I summon creatures to help me."

"Oh, w - wow! How about you?" She looked expectantly at Cobra with wide, curious eyes. Cobra regarded her suspiciously before answering in a low tone,

"That's none of your buisness. Just show us where to go then get out of our way."

Lucy glowered angrily at Cobra while Ery looked away in embarrassment, "Ah, yes, of course. Sorry." She stopped before a large, brick building that looked significantly cleaner and more accommodating than many of the surrounding structures, and cleared her throat.

"Here we are! Please, wait out here. I'll let elder Makoto know you've arrived."

As Ery slipped in through the fancy oak doors, Lucy turned to Cobra.

"There was no need for that, you know." She reprimanded him. Cobra groaned with annoyance.

"Oh for pity's sake, what the fuck did I do now?"

"You didn't need to be so rude to her!"

"Seriously? You get wound up over the smallest things, you know that blondie?"

"God! Would it kill you to be polite to people once in a while?"

"It might. Why should she care what sort of magic we use? The more we can keep hidden, the bigger the advantage we have over our opponents. You were a fool to say anything."

"You were a member of a famous dark guild, loads of people know about you and what magic you use."

"So? If the guys we end up fighting happen to be among those who don't know, I'd like to keep it hidden for as long as possible."

"Fine. You still didn't need to be mean about it. Besides, wouldn't you be able to tell if anyone here was plotting against us? "

Before answering, Cobra hesitated and glanced around. He then moved closer to Lucy and lowered his voice.

"That's the thing, blondie. I couldn't hear her thoughts. I couldn't hear the thoughts of anyone as we passed through."

Lucy looked up at him in alarm. "What..? You mean, like with that Hikaru guy?" She asked with concern.

Cobra nodded. "Exactly. Do you get it now?"

"I..." Lucy looked away, startled, and not a little unnerved by this revelation.

Just then, the doors creaked open and Ery poked her head around the corner.

"Please, come in! Elder Makoto is ready now." She smiled shyly.

The inside of the hall was modestly furnished at best. The plain wooden floor was partially covered by a worn red rug that stretched the length of the room from the door to the brick fireplace on the opposite wall. A few bookshelves lined the walls on either side, with spaces in front of the few grimy windows that let in some natural light. A wizened, elderly woman wrapped in blankets sat on a plain wooden chair next to the small fire, facing them. As Cobra and Lucy approached she smiled.

"Ah, welcome to you, Fairy Tail wizards. " Her eyes slid over to Cobra and her smile lost it's warmth. "Well, _one_ Fairy Tail wizard, at least."

Cobra's eyes narrowed disdainfully. "Oh? What does that mean?" He asked.

The woman shrugged. "You may bear the mark of your new guild, but you clearly have yet to prove your heart to be worthy of it." She stated, watching him closely.

Cobra's brow twitched with irritation. "Listen, old woman, I dont-"

"- uh-um! Er..." Lucy cut in, desperate to diffuse the rapidly building tension.

"C - could you please, um, maybe tell us a little more about the job you hired us for?"

The woman nodded. "Why, yes. Of course." She gestured to the sofa on the other side of the fire. "Sit." Despite her kindly tone, it was clearly an order rather than a mere suggestion. Lucy gratefully sank into the seat, anxious to rest her legs after a long day's walk. Cobra did so too, albeit hesitantly and reluctantly.

The woman regarded them through wise, dark eyes. "My name is Makoto. You have have met Ery," She motioned to Ery who was standing behind her, her head bowed.

"You know the basics of why we asked you here, I imagine. However, there is a little more to the story than we advertised. Something that makes the whole situation rather more... complicated, than it might have first appeared."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

...

Makoto began the story of how the stranger Hikaru first appeared.

"It was a few months ago, I believe, when this Hikaru first made an appearance. Possibly earlier. I have been informed that he stayed at the inn for some time and was asking around for something. A doll of some kind. Now, I am unaware of the value of this doll, or of how it is of importance to him. All I know is that he never found what he was looking for."  
She was interrupted by a coughing fit that seized her suddenly in the middle of her speech. Panicked, Ery rushed out of the room and returned moments later with a cup of water. Kneeling down beside her elder, Ery held it out to Makoto who grasped it, sipping carefully in between cough so as not to spill anything.

Once recovered, she looked apologetically towards the two wizards. "My apologies, young wizards. My health is not as fine as it once was." She said, her voice rasping. She breathed heavily, suddenly seeming much older than she did as minute ago.

Lucy watched with concern. "Don't worry, Elder Makoto. Please, take your time."

She closed her eyes for a second, gathering her strength before attempting attempting to continue.

"Yes... Hikaru soon gave up and resorted to more violent measures. After a while, a string of burglaries and break-ins began. It is my theory that he used the money he obtained from these to pay off his gang of hired thugs he takes around with him."

"So, are they from here? Why would they attack their own hometown?" Lucy asked incredulously. Makoto shook her head sadly.

"Most of them are young and foolish, others are simply in need of coin. You ask why they would terrorise their neighbours so ruthlessly? Well, who knows? Desperation can be a powerful motivator, it could be that Hikaru used their weaknesses to brainwash then. I really couldn't say." Distressed by the topic, she raised a hand to her temple, brushing loose strands of greyed hair away from her face.  
As she did so, her sleeve fell slightly down her arm, revealing a few shiny, golden bracelets. Lucy gasped as she realised where she had seen them before.

"Excuse me," She began, leaning forwards slightly. "Those bracelets - I hope you don't mind my asking - What are they?"

Makoto frowned slightly and looked down at her wrist. "Oh, these!" She exclaimed, letting out a small chuckle. "These are are specialty of our little town. Charm bracelets, I like to call them. You see this?" She removed one of them from her wrist and laid it flat on her palm, pointing out the small, circular pendant that hung off it. In the centre was a glowing red stone.

Lucy gazed at it in wonder, while Cobra sat back on the sofa staring into nothing, completely uninterested.  
"Is that a lacrima?" Lucy wondered aloud.  
Makoto nodded. "Indeed. Each bracelet grants the so wearer with a small boon. For instance, some may increase your resistance to disease, or we have another that can block attempts at mind reading." Upon hearing this Cobra snapped to attention, but Makoto appeared not to notice. "The enchantments are not terribly powerful, but can prove useful."

Lucy absorbed this information cautiously, filtering through each word that entered her mind. "Do you often find yourself in the presence of mind readers?" She asked as jokingly as she could manage, trying not to glance at Cobra.  
Makoto laughed. "No, not really. It's more for the tradition that people to wear them now. It's just part of our culture. " She coughed again into her hand. As she cleaned it on a handkerchief, a smear of red appeared on the white cloth, and Cobra got the faintest whiff of blood.

"Well, I believe there is little else to say. We can give you some lodgings for the next few nights. Is there anything else you wish to ask me?"

"Yeah," Said Cobra, uncharacteristically breaking his silence. Makoto glanced at him with an air of hostility.  
"Why is this guy so sure that whatever he's looking for is here?"

"I couldn't tell you. Try asking Hikaru, when you next see him. I'm sure he'd be happy to help a fellow dark mage." She said harshly, her eyes full of disgust.  
Lucy inhaled sharply and glanced anxiously towards Cobra. Thankfully, he didn't seem terribly bothered by her aggressive remark.  
He shrugged and stood up. "Fine, fine, I get it. C'mon, blondie." He strode towards the door, not bothering to excuse himself. Lucy stood up and bowed awkwardly.

"Sorry, I suppose we should be going now." Makoto nodded, a bit of warmth returning to her expression, and Ery jumped forwards. "I'll show you where you'll be staying." She announced cheerily.

Like everything else about the village, the lodgings were modest and not in the best repair, but they were clean enough. Lucy and Cobra each got their own rooms, each only containing a bed, a desk and chair, and and single small chest of drawers.

Cobra had wordlessly stormed into his room as soon as they arrived, and given the lateness of the hour, Lucy prepared to turn in for the night.

The sun had soon set entirely, casting the whole town in a ominous darkness. In the dead of night, a creaking of the floorboards caused Lucy to stir from her sleep.  
"Hmm?" She mumbled as she opened her eyes groggily.  
Someone was moving down the hall, getting slowly closer to her room. Taking a minute for her eyesight to adjust to the darkness, she slowly sat up and reached for her keys. The shuffling moved past her door, and she let out and quiet sigh of relief. It sounded as if they were leaving, not entering the building. She paused for a moment to let her heart rate return to normal, then slipped out of bed and padded softly to the window. It took a minute or two, but the front door opened, and a familiar figure stepped out of shadows into the moonlight.

Lucy frowned in confusion.  
 _Cobra? What's he doing?_  
She began to panic at at the thought he might be able to hear her, but as the seconds passed by without any sign from Cobra that he had heard, she decided that either he was too preoccupied to listen or he was too far away.  
She watched quietly as Cobra glanced around the empty streets, before slipping around a corner and out of sight.  
 _Huh. That's strange...  
_ Lucy stared after him, searching her mind for an explanation. She found none. For a moment she contemplated following him but decided against it, realising it would be a foolish endeavour to attempt to trail someone with such keen hearing. She would have to settle for asking him about it tomorrow and see how he responds. Feeling more than a little annoyed at her inability to do anything more, she returned to her bed. Sleep escaped her for the remainder of the night however, as she anxiously speculated on what the reason could be for Cobra's stealthy departure.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

...

 **Er... Sorry about the delay between uploads. I believe it's been nearly... A year... oops.  
Enjoy! The next chapter shouldn't take _quite_ as long...**

...

The sunlight crept in through the window, but Lucy did not stir. It had been very late when she had finally fallen asleep, and she was to tired to wake.  
The door burst open suddenly, rudely snapping Lucy from her doze. She jumped and whipped her head towards the door.

"What the -"

"Geez, blondie, still asleep at this time? Get up, already!"

Lucy blinked in astonishment. Cobra had strode into the room and was glaring at her disapprovingly.

"Wha.. Cobra? Get out!"

"So you can laze around for another three hours? It's nearly midday, dammit!"

"Oh... well, still! You don't barge into someone's room! Is knocking so hard?"

"It's slow, and we've wasted enough time already."

Lucy sighed. "What do you want?"

"To fill you in. If this Hikaru's so sure this doll of his is in this village, he's probably right. We should find it first."

"How do think we could find it when Hikaru couldn't?" Lucy asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Cobra smirked. "I'm sure we'll come up with something, blondie."

"Are you still calling me that? I have a name!"

"Blondie's easier to remember."

Lucy gritted her teeth. This guy was really starting to get to her. Biting back a retort, she instead muttered grudgingly, "Fine. Whatever. I'm up now; get out so I can get changed."

Cobra shrugged. "Don't expect me to wait for you. When you're done preening, I'll be out actually doing the damn job." He said. He turned and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Lucy stared after him, then shook her head.

 _I am never working with this guy again. That's for sure._

 _..._

As she dressed, Lucy thought about the pale man with the black sword.  
 _Hikaru.. Hikaru... where have I heard that name before? And why did he look so familiar?_ She thought about his charm bracelets. They seemed to be quite useful, and if he thought enough of them to line his wrists with them, maybe they were more powerful than elder Makoto implied. They were good enough to hamper Cobra's sharp hearing, not an easy feat when you remembered he was once a member of an elite dark guild. Lucy resolved to learn more about them, maybe see about obtaining a few herself.  
She smiled in relief when she considered that she may be able to get her hands on something that could stop Cobra from listening to her every thought.

...

When she left the house, she glanced around the streets. Like the day before, they were mostly bare, and the few people who ambled around kept their heads bowed and eyes downcast. Lucy shivered. The misery of this place was overwhelming. Keeping her own head high, Lucy forced her face into a cheerful smile as she headed down the road.  
After a while, still unsure of Cobra's whereabouts, Lucy passed a small, old building with a wooden sign hanging over the door. It was made of mostly wood with gold engravings that read, ' _Magic Shop'_.  
Intrigued, Lucy opened the door and headed in side. The loud creaking the door made when it moved caused Lucy to wince. As she stepped inside, the soft tingle of a bell sounded above her, and she let the door slowly drift shut again.  
At the far side of the room there was a simple counter in front of a cream coloured curtain that led to a separate room. Around her, the shelves were lined with small yet flashy trinkets that Lucy recognised as typical rip-offs of real magic. Many of these items would be found in your average tourist shop, designed to stir the curiosity (and coin purses) of non magicians. Unlike most other magic shops, however, here there were also stacks and stacks of the little charm bracelets. Each one hung a pendant off a little gold or silver chain, with a different coloured lacrima in the middle. Some were blue, magenta, red, white… in fact a whole rainbow of colours lay out in front of Lucy.

As she examined them, she heard a shuffling behind her. Turning, she saw a man emerge from behind the curtain and gaze suspiciously at her. Fairly good looking and muscular, Lucy judged he was about thirty. Lucy began to smile in greeting, but froze when she realised that the man held a crossbow in his hands, and it was pointed at her.

"Wha- Hey!" She dropped the bracelets she had been examining and backed away in alarm as they clatter onto the floor. "What the hell is that for?"

The man regarded her silently for a moment, then lowered the crossbow and set it down on the table. "You don't seem like one of them. I'm sorry, but we don't get many customers and we've had our fair share of break ins over the last few months. You can't be too careful."

Lucy glared at him. "Try not scaring your customers half to death, you might find it helps your sales." She muttered angrily as she leant down and retrieved the fallen bracelets.

His mouth twitched up into a half smile. Folding his arms, he leaned against the desk. "What can I help you with?"

Lucy held up one of the bracelets. "I'm new in town. Can you tell me more about these?"

The shop owner nodded. "Of course. Each one has a lacrima and an inscription, giving it a certain magical property. What it is depends on the inscription, and the strength depends on the lacrima. Usually they're very weak, as we don't have many impressive lacrima around here."

"Who makes them?" Lucy asked.

At this question, the man's face darkened. "Until recently, my younger sister."

Lucy glanced up sharply. "Oh. I'm sorry. Um, is she...?"

The man shook his head. "Not dead. Left to join that Hikaru bastard. She makes the charm bracelets for him now." He said sadly.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did she leave?"

"Well, she's the only one in our village beside Ery who can use magic. Hikaru promised to teach her, give her a place in his new dark guild. It was an offer she couldn't resist."

"Wait - Ery can use magic?"

"Oh, yes. Not terribly well, but she has an affinity for it that's unusual in our little village, and she comes in here quite often. She's the only one who does, really." He shrugged. "Anyway, is there anything else?"

Lucy shook her head slowly, sifting through the information she had just been told. Ery was a wizard? That was interesting. And unexpected. She was so shy, and seemed to fold in on herself whenever you looked at her. It was as if she was frightened of taking up too much space, an incredibly unusual trait in a mage. If Ery had seen fit to hide her magic talent from them, what else was there Ery did not want them to know?

Lucy gave the shopkeeper a short bow. "Thank you very much. I should go now."

He frowned slightly. "Are you sure? Don't want to buy anything?"

"Well…" Lucy's eyes scanned the rows of flashing bracelets. She had some money with her that she could spare. "Yeah, okay. Makoto mentioned one of these things could stop, er, mind reading?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, before moving over to the shelves and glancing between the separate stacks of glittering bracelets. "Mind reading, eh? That's a very… specific request. Had trouble with that stuff in the past, have you?"

"You could say that." Lucy replied, hoping Cobra wasn't nearby. "You know, you really could make a fortune with these things. Over in the cities, they could be a hit." She suggested, handing over a few coins.

The man smiled, but shook his head. "Thank you for saying so, but no. I don't mind selling to those who pass through, but these charms have long been a tradition of Auryon village alone. It… wouldn't feel right to mass produce them and send them out all over."

Lucy smiled in return, not fully understanding but knowing better than to press the issue. She took the offered bracelet, A seemingly flimsy gold chain that held a royal blue pendant. As Lucy watched, she noticed a spiral of glowing lights that pulsated and weaved through each other. A lacrima.

"Thank you very much." Lucy offered, slipping the bracelet onto her wrist. She wondered briefly how Cobra might react. Would he not care? Be glad for it, even? Or might he be angry?

Lucy shrugged to herself. It didn't matter what he thought of it. As long as they could work together long enough to finish the job, that's all that mattered.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

…

Cobra sat inside the small, quiet bar, his chin resting on his palm as he stared absently at the table, keeping his hearing sharp for any stray gossip that may be useful. It was proving harder than expected; the more he strained, the more he noticed the insistent buzzing of hundreds, or maybe even thousands of tiny lacrima working away, dampening his otherwise extraordinary sense. He sighed as the unpleasant sensation ground away at his nerves.  
"Screw it." He muttered, shaking his head and temporarily giving up on the matter. He lifted his cup and took a swig of stale beer.

Suddenly, he caught a faint hum of activity, dancing on the edge of his hearing. It slowly drew closer, and Cobra was able to make out snatches of a conversation between two men, somewhere outside.

"…getting tougher to handle… …Not bringing in as much as I used to." The first voice had a scratchy, rough quality to it.=  
There was a sigh. "I know." Said a voice, in a decidedly lower pitch than the first. "Believe me, you're not the only one to be affected by that damn Hikaru bastard."

"It's not just him, and you know it. Things have been going downhill for a while before he showed up."

There was a pause. The second voice said, quietly, "You know, my brother left to join up with him. Times are so hard, he couldn't take it. Or he couldn't be bothered to try. I think he hopes that Hikaru will teach him magic and give him a place in his new guild."

"Doesn't he care that they're robbing from his own townspeople?"

"Well. If he does, he's doing a damn good job of hiding it." Another pause. "You know, I understand it, I think. It's exiting. Different. You don't get a whole lot of that around here."

"I wish that they'd find whatever it is they're looking for and move on. Leave us alone. Maybe that would knock some sense back into your brother. Hey- Doesn't that Ery use magic? I'm actually a little surprised she hasn't signed up herself."

"I think she's too ill, she spends most of her time trying to find a way to cure herself. Poor thing. She still can't accept her illness is terminal."

Cobra raised his eyebrows in surprise.  
 _Ery? That skinny little thing has magic? Huh…_

He tried to listen for more, but the two speakers were now moving further away and their voices were getting fainter. He strained his ears, his concentration so intense that he didn't notice Lucy until she sat down directly in front of him.=  
He jumped in surprise as she slid into view.

"Christ.." He muttered, recovering.

Lucy smiled. "Wow, I didn't think it was even possible to sneak up on you. Everything okay-?"

"-Shh! Shut up!" He snapped, trying to find the conversation again. After a second, he sighed and sat back in his seat.

"Never mind. They've gone."

"…What was that?"

"Overheard a bit of interesting information, that's all." He replied. "Don't know if you've got any good leads, the best I've got is that Ery…" He trailed off, then frowned at Lucy.

"…What did you do?" He asked, leaning forwards.

Lucy looked at him blankly. "Hm? What?"

He cocked his head to one side. "I can't hear your thoughts. What did you do?"

"Oh!" Lucy grinned, then held up her wrist to display the glittering gold and blue bracelet. "Paid a visit to the magic shop. I thought it might be worthwhile."

Cobra stared at the pendant for a moment, then leaned back again. "Interesting. So they really do work." He muttered softly, more to himself than to Lucy. "I wasn't entirely sure."

"Why not?"

"What I do isn't mind reading, not really. It's… a combination of good hearing and soul reading. I listen to a person's soul, not their mind."

Lucy nodded slowly. "Oh. Okay… Um, what's the difference?"

Cobra rolled his eyes. "It… tch, never mind. I can't be bothered to explain it all right now." He brought his mug to his mouth and took a gulp. "It'd be a nice difference, I guess, not to have to listen to every little thought that crossed your ditzy head. That shit was seriously starting to get annoying."

Lucy blushed angrily. "Do you really have to be so mean?"

Cobra smirked. "Don't have to, but it's more fun."

Somehow his response caused Lucy's face to heat up even more. She lifted her elbows onto the table and buried her face in her hands.

"…oh boy…" She muttered. When she was sure some of the colour had receded from her face, she looked up again. "By the way, where did you go last night?"

Cobra's face was kept carefully blank. "What?"

"I saw you leave. Where did you go?"

Cobra's hesitation was just a little too long. "Couldn't sleep. Wanted some air."

Lucy scoffed. "For a former dark mage, I'd have thought you'd be a little better at lying." She said, smiling. "Come on, what was it?"

Cobra scowled. He replied tersely. "I told you, just went for a walk. Why do you care, anyway?"

Lucy looked at him, surprised by his hostility. "Just curious. We are, more or less, teammates. Is it so surprising that I was a little concerned?"

"Concerned?" He raised an eyebrow at her choice of words and the smirk returned to his face. "Worried about me, are you?"

"What? Well. I- er- Hey, don't twist my words!" Lucy said, feeling oddly embarrassed. "We were talking about you, don't turn the conversation around on me to avoid the subject!"

Cobra sighed. "I don't know what you want me to say here. I went for a walk, there's nothing else to it."

Lucy frowned, but Cobra said nothing else.

"Well… I guess we should go over what we know about this job then." She said, grudgingly changing the topic.

Cobra nodded thoughtfully. "What is it that this Hikaru is looking for again? A doll? Why would he want something like that?"

"Well, it's going to be magic in some way, isn't it? Maybe it's got some kind of curse, or special enchantment, or…" She stopped suddenly, her eyes widening.

After a moment or two of Lucy staring vacantly into nothing, Cobra frowned.

"Blondie? What is it?" She didn't respond. "Hey. Hey!" He nudged her arm, and Lucy suddenly slammed her palm against he table, shaking her head.

"Kain Hikaru, of course! _That's_ where I've heard the name 'Hikaru' before!" She exclaimed. At Cobra's confused expression, she hastily explained,

"Kain Hikaru is… or was… a member of the Grimoire heart dark guild. He used this voodoo doll thing to change the properties of his own body. Oh! That's why this guy looked so familiar!"

Cobra tensed. "Are you saying this guy we're to fight is a member of Grimoire Heart?"

"Yes! Wait- No, not the Hikaru terrorising the village. He's not Grimoire heart, Kain was. They look kind of similar, but whoever this guy is, he's not Kain. Kain was… bigger, and more oafish. They're definitely related, though. Probably brothers."

Cobra went quiet, thinking. Eventually, he said. "Can anyone use this voodoo doll?"

"I guess. If you know how, I suppose."

"And you said that it can alter the user's body?"

"Yes."

"…Could it be used to cure diseases?"

"I… I don't know. Maybe." Lucy replied hesitantly. "What are you thinking?"

A dark smile slowly slid across Cobra's features, and he stood up. "I'm thinking I have a fairly solid idea of where this voodoo doll is."


	9. Chapter 9

Lucy had to run to keep up with Cobra's long, purposeful strides.

"Wait!" She called, trying not to trip on the uneven cobbles. "Talk to me, Erik! Where is it? Who has it? Hey!" She ran in front of him, blocking his path. She grabbed his arm when he tried to move past her. "Will you slow down for a second?" She said angrily.

Cobra looked at her. "It's Ery."

"Ery?" Lucy repeated, staring at Cobra in bewilderment. "I mean- I heard she has magic, but she doesn't seem like the type of person to put her hometown at risk for the sake of a fancy magical item that she probably can't even use!"

"Yeah, but she's also ill. She's dying, Heartfilia. That's something that's bound to push anyone to pretty extreme measures."

"Dying?" Lucy gaped. "Are you sure?"

"You saw her, didn't you? She's not exactly the picture of perfect health." He wrenched his arm free of her grip and caught her wrist instead. "Come on. It's time we had a talk with her."  
Vaguely annoyed at being dragged along, Lucy nonetheless allowed Cobra to lead her through the streets while she thought about this new information.

It still seemed like a leap, but it made as much sense as anything else. It saddened Lucy to think that Ery was dying. She seemed kind and sweet, and far to young to die in such a way. If Ery was deliberately hiding the doll to keep for herself it would explain why Hikaru had to have spent so long looking for it, but not why he wanted it so badly in the first place. Was it possible he was in a similar situation? Or, more likely, did it have something to do with Kain?  
Cobra led the way through the small town, ears pricked for any hint of where Ery Noboru might be. Once, he paused in the middle of he road, then sharply changed direction as he picked up on a distant sound.

Before too long, they saw Ery leaving the the large brick building that housed Elder Makoto. As she walked towards the town square, Cobra and Lucy followed hurriedly.

"Ery!" Lucy called, and Ery turned around in mild alarm. She relaxed when she saw the two mages approaching her, but only slightly.

"Lucy!" Ery replied, smiling. "How are you? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, thank you. We just need to ask y-"

"Do you have it?" Cobra cut in harshly.

Ery frowned in confusion. "Have what?"

"The doll that this 'Hikaru' is looking for. You have it, don't you?"

Lucy winced at Cobra's aggressive demeanor. "Erik…" She said softly but firmly, hoping he would take the hint.

Cobra ignored Lucy. "Where is it?" He pressed.

Ery sent a wide-eyed glance towards Lucy as a silent plea for help. She took a step backwards, a little frightened. "I don't know what you're taking about!" She insisted.

Cobra was unconvinced. "You know, I'm pretty good at telling when people are lying, even without listening to their thoughts." He said, advancing. He grabbed Ery's wrist, intending to remove the charm that hindered his hearing and learn where she had concealed their prize.

Lucy jumped forwards. "Erik! Stop it!" She shouted in horror. She lunged forwards to separate them, but she was too late.

Ery thrashed in panic. "Let go!" She cried, slamming her other other hand into Cobra's chest. A surge of magical energy erupted from her palm, and the ground on which Cobra stood splintered and quaked. Taking the full force of the strike, Cobra was violently thrown backwards. Even Lucy, though not the intended target, was forced to stagger away.

Caught off guard, Cobra still managed to kick his feet under him and land somewhat gracefully. Before he had he chance to do much else, the road beneath Cobra's feet rocked and cracked. Gigantic chunks of rock rose from the ground and whirled about fiercely in the air, creating a barrier between Cobra and Ery. Lucy stood stunned to one side, at a loss as to how she could possibly intervene without making it worse.

Cobra narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth in anger. He advanced again, prompting Ery to shriek in fear and stumble away. The jagged rocks in the air suddenly changed course and zoomed towards Ery's perceived assailant. Cobra dodged around them, utilising his Dragon slayer speed and strength. The few boulders he could not avoid he shattered with a sweep of an elongated, scaled arm. He approached Ery and delivered a painful blow to her stomach. As she cried out and staggered away, he caught her by the neck with one hand and with the other he sorted through the charms on her wrist until he found one with a deep, royal blue lacrima, like the one Lucy showed him.

Just as he managed to tear it off her wrist, he was suddenly forced backwards as a different unseen assailant blindsided him and roughly pushed him away with a barrage of strikes. He scrambled backwards, and stared at his attacker.

Lucy had had enough. She stood shielding Ery, with Loke at her side and a golden key in her hand. Cobra had far overstepped the mark this time. Never taking her eyes off the Poison Dragon slayer, she slowly slid Loke's key back into her pocket and reached for her Fleurve d'etoile, preparing to fend him off forcefully if need be.

Cobra blinked in incomprehension. "Lucy? What the hell do you think…?"

"Are you kidding me?" Lucy cried. "That's my line! What were you thinking?"

"She attacked me, for crying out loud!"

"She was scared, you idiot! And, by the way, not without reason!"

Cobra scowled. People had gathered around the edges of the square, drawn by the commotion. A nervous chatter had started up, and they were staring at Ery and glaring at Cobra.

"…Just so you know, I was right." He said, holding up the lacrima. "She does have the damn voodoo doll."

Lucy turned and stared down at Ery, who was hugging her knees to her chest.

"Ery…"

"I need it." Ery insisted, staring at the ground. "Please. I need it. I have to… it has to work. I can't die yet." Tears formed in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, but somehow her voice held. "…I don't want to die yet..."

"Ery." A voice to their left spoke up. The mages turned to see Makoto standing outside the door to her home, watching them with a grim expression.

"Is it true?" She said gently, directing the question to the young woman on the ground.

Ery looked up sadly. "I'm sorry. I was going to give it up after… I just need to get it to work."

Makoto shuffled forwards slowly, her footsteps the only sound be heard across the square. She stopped at Ery's side.

"Ery, there are some things even magic cannot accomplish." She said softly. "You knew what keeping this a secret would do to us. You should have turned it in. Apart from anything else, if Hikaru had found then out you would have been in danger."

She held out a hand. Ery paused and reached into the folds of her oversized coat. She withdrew a small, tattered and almost childlike doll.

Lucy nodded to herself.

 _Yes… that's exactly like the one Kain had_.

Makoto took the doll and thrust it towards Lucy.

"Here." She said. Her tone was dangerously low, and her eyes were cold. "Take the damn thing. I don't care what happens to it, I don't care what you have to do. Deal with Hikaru, finish your job, and then the two of you _get out of my town_."

Lucy hesitantly took the doll, then swallowed nervously as the old woman turned and stalked back to her house. "Makoto, I'm sorry for what-"

Makoto stopped and cast a glare over her shoulder. "You will still be paid, but I don't entertain thugs here. Think yourselves lucky my granddaughter was unscathed."

Lucy's eyes widened and darted back to Ery, who had climbed to her feet with her eyes downcast.

 _Her granddaughter?_

Makoto continued back to her home, with Ery following close behind.


End file.
